HOME as a hero on his 29th birthday. Life is suddenly good for Mark Butcher after beginning the summer as an England outsider.

HOME as a hero on his 29th birthday. Life is suddenly good for Mark Butcher after beginning the summer as an England outsider.

After stroking England so superbly to victory at Headingley on Monday, the Surrey left-hander returns to The Oval today fired by Mondays match-winning 173 not out in England s successful run chase.

If England can repeat the Leeds treatment they will narrow Australias winning margin to 3-2, as they did at the last gasp in 1997 when Phil Tufnell took 11 wickets in the match.

Much will be expected of Butcher on the familiar turf of Kennington SE11, but it will be back to zero when he walks out a different match, a different situation and there will be pressure on him, says captain Nasser Hussain.

Butcher has surely secured his winter tour place, but Surrey colleague Alex Tudor chances suffered a blow when he was ruled out of the final Ashes Test with an injured right hip.

Hussain said: Mark s a very relaxed lad but its going to be difficult for him.

"People who ve played like that Michael Atherton at Johannesburg, myself at Edgbaston its very difficult for a few weeks after because it s very difficult to live up to it.

There be a lot of pressure on him, his home crowd, his birthday. But I d rather be going into a Test match getting 173 not out on the Monday than getting nought. That's the way he s got to think about it.

Everything that happens after that you are in a daze for a little bit and you have to focus back on starting on nought, and that s what Butcher will have to do in this match.

He s back on nought and all the pressures and fears are going through his mind and he has to start again. We don't expect Butch to get 170 tomorrow, we just expect Butch to go out and compete like he has done all summer.

Tudor s fitness has once more cost him an England cap. He returned after a two-year absence for the Trent Bridge Test and was even doubtful for that match until just before the start.

With the winter series in India being dominated by spin, Tudors next England chance may have to wait until the New Zealand leg which starts in March.

Alex has had a few injuries, but hes also a fine prospect and we can t just wash our hands of him.

We've just got to work with him, try and get his body right all the time it's not easy as a young lad. He's one of these lads who picks up niggles. Alex has to sort that out. It s as simple as that, added Hussain.

Tudor s absence will be covered by either Somersets Richard Johnson or Leicestershire s Jimmy Ormond.

Both have yet to make their Test debuts but The Oval pitch would not be the worst place to start for a young quickie.

England are likely to play only one of their two spinners, with the recalled Middlesex left-armer Tufnell favourite to get the nod ahead of Glamorgans Robert Croft.

Hussain believes his men will go into the final Ashes encounter of the summer with a renewed sense of confidence having averted the prospect of a series whitewash.

It would have been very difficult if we had lost on Monday and come here 4-0 down. Winning has helped our preparations. Obviously we have to start all over again in this match, Monday has no bearing on it, said Hussain.

Just because we had a good couple of days doesnt banish everything else, but just because we had a few months in the middle of the summer doesn t banish everything else weve done in the last two years.

Theres going to be ups and down throughout because you are playing different sides of different capabilities.

To get back to 3-2 is not as important as putting in days like we did on Monday, that s the important thing, where people see that we are trying and we are caring and we are playing good, sensible attacking cricket.

If we can play like we can then I know we will go to India and other places and compete. So obviously if we do those things we've got chance of reaping the rewards like we did at Headingley.